Recent translations of Dogen's Mana Shobogenzo, compiled shortly after he returned from China, offer both a prologue to his later writings and an invaluable summing-up of his vigorous, unsurpassable practice. We will be studying selected koans from the collection and, where possible, relating them to later commentaries in the Shobogenzo as well as those of the Song dynasty Chinese masters who were his inspiration. In the process, we will explore both what it means to study koans as texts, and what it is to practice with them in a way that goes beyond study.

Jamie HowellJamie Howell, Kogen Seido, began his Zen Practice with Joshu Sasaki Roshi in 1979 at the Mount Baldy Zen Center. In 1983, when he was living in San Francisco and his eldest daughter was diagnosed with leukemia, Jamie began to study with Michael Wenger at the San Francisco Zen Center. He was Chairman of the Board of San Francisco Zen Center in 2004 and 2005 and was shuso at City Center in 2006. In 2011, Jamie received lay Dharma Entrustment from Michael Wenger.

Zachary Smith (Anshi Daigi)Zachary Smith, Anshi Daigi, has been practicing since 1993, took jukai in 1995, and was shuso under Abbot Paul Haller in Fall of 2007. He currently directs North Mountain Zendo, a zazenkai group in North Beach. In addition to his involvement with Zen, Zachary is a husband and father (of 4), an engineer, a musician, a bike fanatic, and an avid but mediocre poet. He may be the only person in the history of Zen in the West to have interrupted a residential practice period to tour with a rock band.